Gioioso was the 11th cardinal to question Galileo. His approach was rather disarming, as he preferred to simply talk to Galileo, sharing wine and cakes, and allowing Galileo to lie on a couch during their conversations.

Gioioso's goal was to make Galileo see that his defense of the Copernican system had far more to do with Galileo's frustration with his father than it did into an inquiry into scientific truth. After several days, Gioioso made Galileo the Ptolemaic system was what conformed to a person's everyday existence. Moreover, Gioioso convinced Galileo that in his efforts to somehow resolve his deep subconscious efforts to rebel against his own father, he was doing far more harm to the Church and to Catholics. Galileo, after much introspection, agreed.